Rob,
The flangers were all heavily loaded with scrap metal. On each end of the flanger is a weight box (The D&RGW filled those weight boxes with scrap iron and steel. When the Colorado Railroad Museum rebuilt Flanger OC years ago they found the weight box full of spikes, angle iron, tie plates. When the Durango Railroad Historical Society rebuild Flanger OT in 2015 and 2017 we found the weight box filled with steel bars cut to fit but also scrap.
The flangers are heavy. Flanger OF weighs 34,700 pounds. But they do derail. Following is an example...
D&RGW Accident Report
February 28, 1948
Salida
Derailment at MP 239 Alamosa branch (Valley Line). Engine 497—Flanger OL—Engine 496 and Caboose 0586 moving east at MP 239, left flanger wing struck a pocket of hard packed snow turning over right rail derailing rear truck on flanger, engine 496 and Caboose 0586.
Flanger OT at Silverton.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2020 04:37PM by Jerry474.